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Wednesday, April 27. 2011

Kathleen Rosenblatt is a licensed Acupuncturist and author of several books.

I recently met her and listened to her CD titled: "Cellular Meditation" and was quite impressed.

Cellular meditation for stress release has been described as: practical advice, guided imagery and breath work to help normalize biochemical imbalances. I strongly believe in the power ofimagery and use it often with my “light sedation approach”.

The 2 volume CD includes several morning and evening meditation sessions.

Friday, April 22. 2011

Dr. Mell Shiffman from newport Beach california reported similar findings. Most radiologist can not discern the difference between the occasional "fat transfer" calcifications and malignant breast cancer calcifications.

Beijing — Results of a new study show that breast augmentation procedures in which fat from the patient’s body is transferred to the breasts can cause false suspicion of breast cancer on follow-up mammograms, Medical News Today reports.

Researchers from Meitan General Hospital in Beijing looked at records of 48 women who underwent autologous fat injection for breast augmentation between 1999 and 2009. Follow-up mammograms obtained some years after the procedures showed “clustered microcalcifications” in eight of the 48 women, or 16.7 percent. In all eight cases, the microcalcifications were regarded as “highly suspicious” for breast cancer.

The abnormalities prompted biopsies, but none revealed breast cancer. Instead, the calcifications appeared to be related to necrosis of the injected fat cells. The study found that mammographic changes occurring after fat injection are indistinguishable from abnormalities associated with breast cancer.

Despite a long history of debate over the use of injected fat for breast augmentation, more recent studies have reported that the method provides very good results, and that any changes seen on mammograms are easily distinguished from abnormalities related to breast cancer.

In contrast, the new study finds mammographic abnormalities suspicious for breast cancer in one out of six women undergoing fat injection for breast augmentation.

According to the study, the clustered microcalcifications are indistinguishable from those associated with breast cancer, requiring a biopsy to help physicians make the correct diagnosis. Because of this issue, the authors write in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, autologous fat injection for breast augmentation should be discontinued.

That recommendation conflicts with a paper published in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, which concluded, “Radiographic follow-up of breasts treated with fat grafting is not problematic and should not be a hindrance to the procedure.”

Tuesday, April 19. 2011

The short answer: Try to sleep on your back! Yes it is easier said than done.

Here is an interesting article from CNN.com

(Health.com) -- Your preferred p.m. pose could be giving you back and neck pain, tummy troubles, even premature wrinkles. Here are the best positions for your body -- plus the one you may want to avoid.

The scoop: Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck, and spine to maintain a neutral position. You're not forcing any extra curves into your back, says Steven Diamant, a chiropractor in New York City. It's also ideal for fighting acid reflux, says Eric Olson, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota: "If the head is elevated, your stomach will be below your esophagus so acid or food can't come back up."

Back-sleeping also helps prevent wrinkles, because nothing is pushing against your face, notes Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., a professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University. And the weight of your breasts is fully supported, reducing sagginess.

Consider this: "Snoring is usually most frequent and severe when sleeping on the back," Olson says.

Perfect pillow: One puffy one. The goal is to keep your head and neck supported without propping your head up too much.

The scoop: Side-sleeping is great for overall health -- it reduces snoring and keeps your spine elongated. If you suffer from acid reflux, this is the next best thing to sleeping on your back.

Now for the downside: "Sleeping on your side can cause you to get wrinkles," Glaser says. Blame all that smushing of one side of your face into the pillow. This pose also contributes to breast sag, since your girls are dangling downward, stretching the ligaments, says Health magazine's Medical Editor Roshini Rajapaksa, M.D.

Perfect pillow: A thick one. "You need to fill the space above your shoulder so your head and neck are supported in a neutral position," says Ken Shannon, a physical therapist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

The scoop: Outside of your mother's uterus, resting in a tight fetal pose isn't a great idea. When you snooze with your knees pulled up high and chin tucked into your chest, you may feel it in the morning, especially if you have an arthritic back or joints, Olson says.

"This curved position also restricts diaphragmatic breathing," adds Dody Chang, a licensed acupuncturist with the Center for Integrative Medicine at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut. And if you make this your nightly pose, you may bring on premature facial wrinkles and breast sag.

Consider this: Just straighten out a bit -- try not to tuck your body into an extreme curl.

Perfect pillow: One plump pillow -- the same as side position, to give your head and neck support.

The scoop: "Stomach-sleeping makes it difficult to maintain a neutral position with your spine," Shannon explains. What's more, the pose puts pressure on joints and muscles, which can irritate nerves and lead to pain, numbness, and tingling.

"Think about the soreness you'd feel if you kept your neck turned to one side for 15 minutes during the day," Diamant explains. In this position you have your head to one side for hours at a time. You won't necessarily feel it the next day, but you may soon start to ache.

Consider this: Do you snore? "Stomach-sleeping may even be good for you," Olson says. Facedown keeps your upper airways more open. So if you snore and aren't suffering from neck or back pain, it's fine to try sleeping on your belly.

(NaturalNews) In some patients with kidney problems, a common dye used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests may lead to an incurable and potentially fatal disease that causes skin to turn hard and immobile.

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a poorly understood medical condition in which collagen builds up in the skin and makes it hard and immobile, making it come to resemble marble. NSF can also cause collagen to build up in the heart, lungs and liver, with potentially fatal consequences.

More than 95 percent of NSF cases are known to have occurred within three months of a patient being exposed to dyes made with a magnetic ion called gadolinium. Gadolinium dyes are used in MRIs because they bind to specific tissues, increasing the contrast and usefulness of the images.

In May, the FDA asked for a black box warning on all gadolinium-based products, warning that a single exposure may be enough to cause NSF in kidney patients. The FDA advised kidney patients undergoing MRIs to request that their physicians not use contrasting dyes in the exam unless it is absolutely necessary.

A black box warning is the strongest warning the FDA can issue without banning a product. However, the FDA has approved no other dyes for use in multi-purpose MRIs; only two other dyes are approved for certain liver problems.

According to Shawn E. Cowper, a dermatologic pathologist at Yale University who first identified NSF, as many as one in 20 kidney patients could be at risk if exposed to gadolinium.

"I don't think there's been a day in the last, probably, two years that's gone by that I haven't cried at least once about this," said Sarah Fracella, who developed NSF after receiving an MRI. Due to the hardening of her skin, Fracella has trouble sitting or walking, and is unable to open bottles.